The entries are dominated by the battle of the Somme. The infantry attack began at 7.30 am. Among the battalions to advance was 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment. Attacking at Beaumont Hamel at about 8.45 am the unit had suffered 90 per cent casualties within fifteen minutes. On 17 July Gwynne paid a visit to the unit whilst it was in the process of being reformed. It would appear that he had known the commanding officer (CO), Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Lovell Haddow in the Sudan. Gwynne also visited the Ulster Div which had suffered a high casualty rate on 1 July. Gwynne was aware of the casualties and spent much of the early part of the month visiting various medical units. He noted that there was an expectation of 250,000 casualties during the battle. He made no comment about the scale of the casualties. At the end of the month he paid another visit to London.

July 1

Over the parapets, or trenches as they are here, went our lads this morning. The French and our right accomplished their objective and our left did well up to a point but were held up by a strong point. Rumour has it we have advanced two miles on some part of our front. The IV Div had to meet the strongest opposition and lost about 4000 men. Our casualties up to yesterday afternoon were about 20,000. The French are said to have captured 2000 and we 1000 prisoners. An airman in the CCS saw the German lines full of Germans who were suffering badly from our shell fire. I travelled down from S. Omer this afternoon bringing Gen. Kentish the Army Officer Schools Expert as far as Auxi-le-Chateau Brought ACG to dinner at Amiens and called on CCS.

July 2

The Casualty Clearing Station expected such a full influx of wounded that the little chapel was also used as a hospital ward. Consequently I had no place to celebrate our Holy Communion. I did not get up early as I sat up late reading, ‘The Soul of the War’, by one ‘Gibbs.’